Search This Blog

One Stop shop for Daily Digest - News, Views and analysis of the political developments of the Horn of Africa. Now you can follow by email alerts situated at the bottom. Please feel free to forward any item of interest - it is your blog too (Make it your Home Page)

Three suspects were arrested and another three escaped, a statement read.

Image copyrightEPA/COLOMBIAN POLICEImage captionMuch of the haul was wrapped and ready for saleImage copyrightAFP/COLOMBIAN POLICEImage captionThe criminal gang Clan Usuga sends cocaine to Central America and on to the US

Nearly 1.5 tonnes of the drugs had been wrapped "and ready to go out to the export market", Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said.

It was the largest seizure of cocaine on Colombian territory although there may have been slightly larger cocaine seizures at sea, he added.

Clan Usuga is mainly engaged in drug trafficking but has also been accused of extortion, illegal mining, forced disappearances and murder, correspondents say.

Colombian police estimate the gang has about 2,000 active members.

Over the past five years, the security forces have captured 6,700 members of the group.

Earlier this month, the Colombian government said it would launch air raids against gangs involved in drug trafficking and illegal mining.